大头金蝇营养成分分析

分析大头金蝇Chrysomya megacephala(Fabricius)的营养成分。结果表明,大头金蝇幼虫、蛹、成虫干粉水分含量分别是6.83,2.07和3.70%,干体粗蛋白含量分别为63.72,76.81和70.54%,粗脂肪分别为16.43,12.82和7.23%。蛋白质中氨基酸总量百分比分别为56.39,55.61和59.12%,其中必需氨基酸占氨基酸总量(E%)的48.34,53.08和43.91%,必需氨基酸与非必需氨基酸之比(E/N)分别为0.94,1.13,0.81,E/T为3.22,3.54,2.93。大头金蝇幼虫、蛹、成虫不饱和脂肪酸占总脂肪酸含量依次是68.1,61.9和65.9%。含有人和动物所必需的常量和微量元素,但没有检测到有毒重金属镉(Cd)、铅(Pb)。大头金蝇与鱼粉、舍蝇幼虫、柞蚕蛹相比,营养成分指标较高,属于理想的昆虫蛋白资源。     

从华蟹甲草中分离的两种活性成分对家蝇的杀虫活性

研究了从我国特有植物华蟹甲草Sinacalia tangutica (Maxim.) B. Nord中经生物活性跟踪实验得出的杀虫活性成分Z,Z,Z-9,12,15-十八碳三烯酸和Z,Z-9,12-十八碳二烯酸对家蝇Musca domestica vicina的生物活性及对其生理生化指标的影响。结果表明,家蝇经该2种化合物1 mg/mL处理后表现出类似神经毒剂中毒的兴奋症状。这2种化合物对家蝇表现出毒杀作用,24 h时,Z,Z,Z-9,12,15-十八碳三烯酸和Z,Z-9,12-十八碳二烯酸对家蝇的LC₅₀值分别为0.26 mg/mL和0.43 mg/mL; 对家蝇触杀作用极低,以1 mg/mL分别点滴处理家蝇后48 h,死亡率分别为21.54%和4.08%。这2种化合物对家蝇的AChE影响不明显,但可引起家蝇的过氧化物酶的活性发生紊乱,对家蝇总糖含量也有一定的影响。Z,Z-9,12-十八碳二烯酸可引起家蝇的Mg-ATPase的比活力降低,而Z,Z,Z-9,12,15-十八碳三烯酸引起家蝇的Na-K-Mg-ATPase和Ca-ATPase的比活力较对照上升。     

Physiological aspects. Part 1 in a series of papers devoted to surfactants in microbiology and biotechnology

Surfactants, both chemical and biological, are amphiphilic compounds which can reduce surface and interfacial tensions by accumulating at the interface of immiscible fluids and increase the solubility, mobility, bioavailability and subsequent biodegradation of hydrophobic or insoluble organic compounds. Investigations on their impacts on microbial activity have generally been limited in scope to the most common and best characterized surfactants. Recently a number of new biosurfactants have been described and accelerated advances in molecular and cellular biology are expected to expand our insights into the diversity of structures and applications of biosurfactants. Biosurfactants play an essential natural role in the swarming motility of microorganisms and participate in cellular physiological processes of signaling and differentiation as well as in biofilm formation. Biosurfactants also exhibit natural physiological roles in increasing bioavailability of hydrophobic molecules and can complex with heavy metals, and some also possess antimicrobial activity. Chemical- and indeed bio-surfactants may also be added exogenously to microbial systems to influence behaviour and/or activity, mimicking the latter effects of biosurfactants. They have been exploited in this way, for example as antimicrobial agents in disease control and to improve degradation of chemical contaminants. Chemical surfactants can interact with microbial proteins and can be manipulated to modify enzyme conformation in a manner that alters enzyme activity, stability and/or specificity. Both chemical- and bio-surfactants are potentially toxic to specific microbes and may be exploited as antimicrobial agents against plant, animal and human microbial pathogens. Because of the widespread use of chemical surfactants, their potential impacts on microbial communities in the environment are receiving considerable attention.     

Biomass functions applicable to Scots pine

This study describes parameterization of biomass functions applicable to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) in the conditions of Central Europe. Fifty-two sample trees from seven sites in different regions of the Czech Republic were used for destructive measurements. The observed aboveground biomass (B _AB) and its individual components were examined by different types of non-linear regression models using one to five independent variables including stem diameter (D), tree height (H), tree age (A), crown length (C) and altitude (Z). The best single-equation approximation of B _AB was a three-parameter model using D, H and Z, which was also best suited for bark. Including altitude into classical multiplicative exponential function with three independent variables (DHZ) and four parameters yielded the best model for stem over or under bark. Age was important for assessment of dead branches within DHA model, whereas living branches were best approximated using four variables including C (DHAC model). The most complex model (DHACZ) worked best for needle biomass. The comparison of B _AB assessment by single regression equation and from sum of individual components showed a negligible difference for full-grown trees, whereas the additive assessment yielded considerably higher B _AB for small or young trees. This corresponds to the assessed confidence intervals for individual trees that were larger for smaller trees. The paper also discusses the issue of commonly used linearization of biomass equations and application of linear regression, and provides comparative examples with nonlinear approach used here. The paper presents the parameter sets for the tested equations for B _AB and individual biomass components.     

Chemical composition and biochemical changes in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands at different stages of decline in Bulgaria

Water content was decreased in the needles of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) with moderate and slight levels of stress-induced decline. In pines with moderate decline a misbalance of foliar nutritional elements was observed. In 1-year-old needles of afflicted pines, the content of potassium and calcium was decreased, but the content of phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese and of the heavy metals cadmium and lead was increased. In 2-year-old needles of damaged pines, the content of calcium, iron and of the heavy metal cadmium was decreased, but the content of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese and zinc was increased. Potassium deficiency and zinc levels above toxicity tolerance characterized the nutrient status of declined Scots pines. In the same pines chlorophyll a/b ratio was diminished in 2-year-old needles and the protein content was increased in 1-year-old needles but was decreased in 2-year-old needles.In the second phase of the study 25- and 40-year-old pines with slight decline were examined. An increase in the protein content of 2-year-old needles of 25-year-old declined pines and of both 1- and 2-year-old needles of older 40-year-old pines was observed. A 280% increase of peroxidase activity in 1-year-old and a 178% increase in 2-year-old needles of 25-year-old damaged pines were shown. In older 40-year-old damaged pines a slight increase only in 1-year-old needles was seen. The observed age-related decrease in peroxidase activity in older 40-year-old symptomatic pines might be responsible for the lower resistance to decline in older pines. Our results show that clear but complex chemical and biochemical changes are observed in the needles of Scots pines in Bulgaria and that these changes hold promise for use as indicators of stress.     

Identifying ontogenetic, environmental and individual components of forest tree growth

Background and Aims

This study aimed to identify and characterize the ontogenetic, environmental and individual components of forest tree growth. In the proposed approach, the tree growth data typically correspond to the retrospective measurement of annual shoot characteristics (e.g. length) along the trunk.

Methods

Dedicated statistical models (semi-Markov switching linear mixed models) were applied to data sets of Corsican pine and sessile oak. In the semi-Markov switching linear mixed models estimated from these data sets, the underlying semi-Markov chain represents both the succession of growth phases and their lengths, while the linear mixed models represent both the influence of climatic factors and the inter-individual heterogeneity within each growth phase.

Key Results

On the basis of these integrative statistical models, it is shown that growth phases are not only defined by average growth level but also by growth fluctuation amplitudes in response to climatic factors and inter-individual heterogeneity and that the individual tree status within the population may change between phases. Species plasticity affected the response to climatic factors while tree origin, sampling strategy and silvicultural interventions impacted inter-individual heterogeneity.

Conclusions

The transposition of the proposed integrative statistical modelling approach to cambial growth in relation to climatic factors and the study of the relationship between apical growth and cambial growth constitute the next steps in this research.     

Male hamsters discriminate estrous state from vaginal secretions and individuals from flank marks

It is clear that male hamsters discriminate between the odors of individual, conspecific females, as shown by using habituation-dishabituation methods. However, it is not clear from past research whether male hamsters are able to discriminate between the odors of estrous and non-estrous females. A series of habituation-dishabituation experiments was conducted to determine whether males discriminated between different estrous cycle states using two female secretions, those from flank-glands and vaginal secretions. We found that, when habituated to a female flank-gland secretion, males discriminated between this female and a second female on the test trial, whether both were in estrus, both were in diestrus, or one was in estrus and the other in diestrus. There was no difference, however, in the magnitude of their dishabituation response toward flank-gland odors of females in estrus and diestrus. These results suggest that males use flank-gland odors to gain information primarily about individuals. When tested with vaginal secretions in habituation-dishabituation tests, males only showed differences in investigation when the second female was in estrus, indicating that males use vaginal secretions to gain information primarily about reproductive state.     

Post-natal sexual development of testis and epididymis in the rabbit: variability and relationships among macroscopic and microscopic markers

The present work was performed to examine the existence of some relationships between macroscopic and microscopic traits of testis and epididymis in rabbit. The variables studied were live weight (LW), testis length (TL), testis width (TWh), testis weight (TW), testis volume (TV), epididymis length (EL), epididymis width (EWh), epididymis weight (EW), epididymis volume (EV), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of lumen (STL), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of elongated spermatids (STES), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of spermatozoa (STS) and diameter of seminiferous tubules (STD). Measurements began after weaning and continued until males reached 33 weeks of age.Phenotypic correlations between testis and epidydimis traits and the principal component analysis were estimated as the residual correlation from an analysis of variance, including the effects of line, birth-season, age, and the double interactions line × age and birth-season × age.Four principal components (PCs) explained 79% of the total variation. The predominant variables defining the first PC were TL, TW and TV. Epididymis width and STS were located in the second PC. Epididymis weight and EV were important in the definition of the first and third PC. Tubular diameter seems important in the definition of the fourth PC.It has been not found correlation between traits related to either testis or epididymis size and variables related to active spermatogenesis. Therefore, TW and/or TV seemed not to be good markers of maturity.     

Automated structure determination from NMR spectra

Automated methods for protein structure determination by NMR have increasingly gained acceptance and are now widely used for the automated assignment of distance restraints and the calculation of three-dimensional structures. This review gives an overview of the techniques for automated protein structure analysis by NMR, including both NOE-based approaches and methods relying on other experimental data such as residual dipolar couplings and chemical shifts, and presents the FLYA algorithm for the fully automated NMR structure determination of proteins that is suitable to substitute all manual spectra analysis and thus overcomes a major efficiency limitation of the NMR method for protein structure determination.     

Nest and colony-specific spectra in the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina

Animals in social groups need to differentiate between group members and others. In very large groups, such as those formed by many ant species, it is not possible to rely on individually specific cues to identify colonymates. Instead, recognition must be based on the colony-specific cues. Individual ant colonies tend to have a specific chemical gestalt that is maintained by the continual exchange of chemicals between workers. In very large polydomous colonies, the exchange of chemicals may be limited between nests within the colony, resulting in inter-nest variation in colony odour that might hinder identification of colonymates or conspecific intruders. We used near-infrared spectroscopy to explore variation in the chemical profile between and within colonies of the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. We found that differences between colonies were reflected in the position, amplitude and width of spectral peaks, while differences between nests within colonies were reflected mainly in amplitude. Furthermore, in the context of colonymate recognition, the behaviour of the ants themselves was positively correlated with colony-specific spectral characteristics, rather than with nest-specific characteristics. Thus, colony spectra have features that are not obscured by intra-colonial variation and may potentially encode the chemical characteristics used by workers to identify colonymates.